![]() The Aeginitan standard was based on a silver didrachm or stater. The first silver ancient Greek coins belong to the city of Aegina. However, it restored its image by fighting valiantly in the Naval battle of Salamis (480 BCE) alongside the Athenians. During the Persian invasion of Greece, Aegina initially submitted to the Persians. The city of Aegina was a Dorian colony of the city of Epidaurus. Aegina Turtle (obv.) and Incuse Square (rev.), Silver stater of Aegina, 456/45-431 BC, American Numismatic SocietyĪegina is an island near Athens in the western Aegean. Worth noting is that in ancient numismatics (the study of ancient coinage) a coin’s front-side is called obverse and its back-side reverse.ġ5. These symbols (badges) were representations of the city and made its coins easily recognizable. The coinage of each city-state employed symbols drawn from history and myth. The Aeginitan, based on the Aeginetan stater (12.2 g.The Corinthian, based on the Corinthian stater (8.6 g.The Attic (Athenian), based on the Attic drachma (4.3 g.To facilitate trade, ancient Greek cities began following certain weight standards. However, in antiquity, two factors mainly determined a coin’s value material and weight. Their value depends on a series of factors like quality, rarity, historical value, material, and others. We will focus specifically on cities from mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and Asia Minor.Īncient coins sold in auctions today are numismatic coins. ![]() In this article, we will explore 15 distinctive ancient Greek coins of the Classical period. Their added value is mainly a result of their ancient history and rarity. This means that they are worth more than the value of their precious metal and are therefore valuable collectibles. Today ancient Greek coins are also numismatic coins. At that point in history, the Greek world was divided into roughly 2.000 city-states most with their unique coin production and imagery. The Greek Classical period lasted from the Ionian revolt (500 BCE) to the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE). It is not an exaggeration that ancient art reached a high point in Classical Greece. Recording standing figure holding branch?', or the inscription PXV may help others identify your coin at a later date.Owl (rev.), Silver tetradrachm of Athens (left), 450-06 BCE, The British Museum Amphora and rose (rev.), Silver stater of Thebes (center), 378-35 BCE, The British Museum Sphinx (obv.), Silver drachm of Chios (right), 412-334 BCE, Coin Archives you could not work out who/what was depicted on the reverse) record as much information as possible. If you could not fully identify the coin (i.e. These are often difficult to read, but use the information under mints and mintmarks to help you. These normally appear around the margins of the design and at the bottom (the exergue). Some 3rd century radiates and almost all 4th century nummi have mintmarks that indicate where they were produced. Once you have identified the reverse of a 4th century nummus, try to identify the emperor from possibilities listed with it. The inscription may help you work this out. Once you have established the emperor shown on the early denomination or radiate, use the information and pictures under reverses/understanding reverse designs to try and determine who/what is shown on the reverse. This will give you the date of your coin, and a list of the possibilities of the emperor shown on the obverse. If your coin is a 4th century nummus, search the common types shown under reverses/common 4th Century reverse types. Use the information and pictures under inscriptions and obverses. ![]() If your coin is one of the early denominations or a radiate the next step is to work out the emperor from the inscription and the portrait. This will cut down the number of possible emperors that might appear on the obverse. Once you have established this you can roughly date the coin within the Roman period (i.e. Work out the denomination of the coin using the information and pictures under denominations. The suggested approach for identification or Roman coins. An introductory guide to identifying Roman coins ![]()
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